Fragile Wonderland
by eriolandmorganna
Summary: Alice has left, but the creature known as the Jabberwock has taken over Wonderland and it's up to the newcomer, a boy named Aain, to join up with the cursed inhabitants in order to save Wonderland. Slash-don't like, don't read. :3 Rated T for violence.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer- **__All characters, except for Aain (who belongs to Morganna), and Wonderland belong to Lewis Carroll._

_Hey, people! So, this story is actually from a Role Play done by myself (Eriol) and Morganna, which might explain any sort of choppiness, etc. There was one other person with us, but had to leave near the beginning, so the majority was written by Morganna and me. Nothing has been changed from the original except for some grammar, punctuation, etc. And no, we won't tell you who plays which character. ;-) We hope you enjoy it and thank you for reading! Reviews are very much appreciated!_

**FRAGILE WONDERLAND**

INTRODUCTION

Years have passed from the days that Alice fell down the rabbit hole. Wonderland has become a wasteland with all hope and joy torn from it.

Jabberwock, the term used for the darkness that destroyed Wonderland.

Jabberwock is the darkness of human's thoughts and actions, and it has taken control of Wonderland by using the Queen of Hearts as its puppet. Because of the Jabberwock's hold on Wonderland, everyone lost something dear to them and now have human-like forms. 

Aain, the newest person in Wonderland, has everyone's hopes on his shoulders. He gains friends and foes along the way, with every turn almost being his down fall. Will he save Wonderland or become lost in the darkness like everyone else?

CHAPTER 1

Simple things were perfect for the March Hare. He often just stared at his empty teacup, nothing coming out of his mouth. It was rare that he even muttered anything, and just like everyone else, he had changed. He didn't care about his friends, just lost in his own madness. His chocolate brown hair was messy, and his hair wanted cutting. Two thin brown hare ears twitched on the top of his head, they were mostly the only thing that moved on the March Hare. He was dressed in a simple dark blue shirt with short white sleeves, but his clothes were dirty.

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The Cheshire Cat sulked among the trees. He was no longer up too his old tricks and his stripped fur had long since fallen out. His skin was leathery now and his teeth were just sharp. His feet padded softly against the dark forest path, heading nowhere in particular. Everywhere was the same after the Jabberwock took power as the Queen's puppet master. Cheshire was one of the few Wonderlanders who kept their true form, or something similar. A stirring was up and even this cat's insanity-driven mind knew it. A new hero might be on their way, and hopefully they could accomplish what Alice had only kept at bay.

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Time had not been treating him well. And if you knew Time as well as he did, then you knew that things were bad. Before, Time had only stopped at 6:00. But now He was causing the Mad Hatter to waste away. He couldn't even remember how his hats had gone. They were just…not there anymore. And for some reason, his hands couldn't remember how they were supposed to be made. The special, oversized felt hat that he had once worn was gone, and now, without out, his head felt like it had been cut open. His once shining blonde curls were tangled and dirty. His waistcoat fell limp on his thin frame and the blouse underneath was smudged with the mud he had run through in order to escape the clutches of the Jabberwock, whatever it was. A fading red tie hung loosely from his neck. The Mad Hatter didn't care anymore. He didn't care about tea parties. He didn't care about singing. And he didn't care about why a raven was like a writing desk.

The Mad Hatter stood silently, staring at rows upon rows of….un-hats. He just stood there staring. And staring. And staring.

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Aain felt like he was falling, but he was falling very slowly. Like floating down a river, but rivers don't have random items floating upward next to you. At least, maybe that was what things were like in this new world.

Aain has short, choppy blonde hair, his soft peach-skin seemed pale as he continued to fall. Aain's pale green eyes had a dull look to them, and always made Aain look bored. He was dressed in a pale blue shirt with a white pocket on the stomach area, his dark blue pants had holes and stains on them.

At last, he landed on brown grass with grace in his steps. Looking around, he could see an old forgotten table with broken tea cups on it. Aain paused, and looked around at the dead raven black trees around him. At least the table looked better then the creepy trees and dead grass.  
So, Aain found himself staring at the insane person with hare ears on his head. Judging by his looks, he looked to be around sixteen. But he was dirty and looked barely alive.

"Hello?" Aain muttered, shaking March Hare's shoulder.

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The Cheshire Cat looked up and sprang forward. Something had happened, he was sure of it... or at least what was left of his sanity was. He arrived at the March Hare's house, where the tea party had long ago stopped. He saw a blonde-ish youth.

"Alice?" he said out loud. He padded forward, hearing the boy call out to the Hare.

"Alice? I think I knew a Alice once...but my name is Aain," Aain told the Cheshire Cat. It seemed that the quiet March Hare wasn't going to talk to him or even show that he was near him.

The Cheshire Cat gave a sharp tooth filled smile at the boy.

"Another savior has arrived," spoke the cat, stalking up to the table. "Hare...Hare wake up you old bat!" Cheshire called out, nudging said person with one of his paws, his spiny tail whipping through the air. March Hare seemed to wake up at last, because he turned his head to search for something in the area.

"Where's...Hatter?" he mumbled, his voice weak from not using it. Aain was confused, but he sat down on one of the few unbroken chairs.

"Ahh, Hatter has gone Mad... Madder than before when he was just the Mad Hatter," Cheshire explained. "Come, Hare, let's go find him. Another savior has come. He'll help us beat the Jabberwock and the tea parties will be back, the darkness will die," the Cheshire explained in his half sane way. He turned to Aain.

"I'm the Cheshire Cat, your guide to 'Wonderland', you are here to help us," the cat said, giving a toothy grin, his tail swaying hypnotically.

"Wonderland? What's that?" Aain asked, tilting his head as pondered the Cheshire Cat's words. Alice used to talk about a land that she came across when she fell in a rabbit hole, but Aain never believed her. Aain should have listened to her, because there was no way of reaching her anymore.

"Wonderland is here and there, this and that," the cat said with a devious smile. "I'm sure many would have heard of here from Alice, ahh the sweet girl, I used to visit her in dreams," he said happily, padding over. He jumped into one of the chairs with grace, as he was a cat, and waited.

"She was fond of you, Cheshire Cat. At least I remember her making sure that she told the other kids what you looked like. She would describe you like an expert..," Aain muttered, now remembering bits and pieces of Alice and her story.

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Something hit him. It was like a shock wave. As if a train had just broken through the barrier to his thoughts. He turned his head slowly to the window.

"Alice?"

The Mad Hatter took slow, deliberate steps out the door and into the garden. He shivered at the permanent cold of Wonderland and looked up into the sky for the first time in what seemed like ages.

"Twinkle twinkle little bat…" he sang to himself as he shuffled along into the woods. "How I wonder what you're at…."

The March Hare's home wasn't all that far, but with who knew what was out there, it seemed like miles.

"Up above the world you fly…" He approached the crossroads and stared down the path leading to nowhere. The Mad Hatter shivered again, but not from the cold. He hurried along the path he knew so well from the life that used to be, his bright eyes darting left and right, searching for nameless fears.

"Like a…tea…tray…in the sky…" He was amazed how much the March Hare's home had changed. The rabbit ear-shaped chimneys were falling apart and the fur-thatched roof was rotting. And the tea was gone. Something welled up inside the Mad Hatter. Something that he hadn't felt for a very, very long time.

"Where's the tea?" he croaked. His voice surprised him, but only because he hadn't used it in such a very long time.

"I told you butter wouldn't suit the works," he said, his voice getting louder and clearer with each word, yet still weak.

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Cheshire smiled.

"I'm flattered she talked about me so much" he said with a catty smile. The cat turned towards the hatless Hatter, "Hatter, old friend, the time is near," he said jumping from the table.

"Grab your hats and cups, the Jabberwock falls" the Cheshire Cat said, circling the table. "Aain is the savior and will help us as Alice did. I do hope you paid attention, dear boy."

Aain nodded his head, taking in every word that came from Cheshire Cat's mouth. March Hare stared at Hatter, and he slowly moved out of his chair. His legs wobbled, weak and asleep for a few minutes. At last, he reached his old friend and hugged him.

"I..missed..you," he murmured weakly.

The Mad Hatter looked down at the March Hare and then at the empty cups and then back at his old friend. Then slowly, he laid his hands gently on the March Hare's back.

"I told you butter wouldn't suit the works," he said quietly.

"Sorry. It was the best butter...I guess…," March Hare said weakly, a thin smile forming on his lips. Aain was shocked, March Hare was cute when he smiled! Where in the world did that cute boy hide when Wonderland changed? The Mad Hatter's head snapped back up and stared intently at Aain.

"How can he save us?" he asked Cheshire with stunning clarity, without taking his eyes off Aain. "How can anyone save us? How can this boy save us now?"

Cheshire smiled.

"Ahh, but Hatter, he is Alice's replacement. She helped keep it at bay, but he can make it go away. Ahhh, too bad the Dormouse is missing," he said, ears flattening against his head. "You must hurry though, Hare and Hatter, the time of the Jabberwock is coming to a close." Cheshire stalked to one of the bushes.

"Now where are Alice's old 'toys', I wonder?" he said slyly before disappearing completely.

The Mad Hatter let go of the March Hare slowly and carefully before stalking over to Aain with a speed that was quite unlike the pace he had been keeping before.

"He doesn't look like much," he mused, tilting Aain's chin up and looking at him. "Alice was far prettier you know. Say, why is a raven like a writing desk?" he asked the boy.

"Edgar Poe wrote on both," Aain answered, not even having to think about the riddle. He remembered Alice asking that a long time ago, and no one could answer it but him. Alice didn't even say if he got it right, but it was a good guess. March Hare looked to his old friend, wondering if that was right. The poor hare never got the riddle right either. The Mad Hatter stared at Aain, his jaw dropped slightly. No one had ever given him an answer to the riddle before. Not even Alice. His hand slipped from Aain's face and back to his side as he stared. Then he promptly kicked Aain out of his chair.

"Wrong! You must be stupid to not know the answer to that one!"

March Hare seemed to be as shocked as Mad Hatter was, because he just watched as Aain fell out of his chair. The human just smirked, knowing that he had gotten the answer right. Maybe this was a rite of passage to be the savior of Wonderland. Oh well.

March Hare went into his house, and it nearly fell apart when he opened the door. He came back with a dusty box that rattled as March walked, he put down on the table.

"These…are Alice's Toys..," he murmured.

"Well, go on, open it up, you silly mammal," the Mad Hatter commanded, though not unkindly. "What toys could she possibly have? She wasn't very much fun, I recall. Mustn't have very many toys then." He glanced at Aain and stared at him for a few seconds.

"What are you doing down there?" Before Aain could reply, the Mad Hatter grabbed his arm and forced him upright. "I say, this is getting rather silly! Can't have you falling over all the time for the fun of it! Are you trying to save Wonderland or what?"

Aain opened the box, and he saw so many toys inside. Well, they weren't toys..they were more like fake weapons. He picked up a wooden sword that looked like it wouldn't even cut rice paper. So, he played with it and slashed at the air. At once, the fence around the house was cut in half, and March ducked to avoid the attack. The slash from the fake weapon left a tiny cut on March's left ear though.

"Owww...," March muttered, grabbing his poor hare ear and rubbing it to make it feel better.

"Oh, now look what you've done!" cried the Mad Hatter, shoving Aain unceremoniously out of the way. No special treatment for saviors, apparently. The Mad Hatter removed the March Hare's hands away with his left hand and took the injured ear with his right.

"A kiss to make it feel better," he said proudly and placed his lips upon the spot. "Now," he proclaimed after his ministrations were finished. "Let's see what else we've got here."

He rifled through the contents of the box and found a long jump rope. He eyed it warily before suddenly snapping it at one of the broken chairs. It stood still for a brief moment before exploding down the middle. "Interesting," was all he said. March Hare seemed to be happy, judging by the smile and blush on his face. He looked into the box and found a saved packet of tea that he had put up for some special day, he giggled and nearly hugged the tea packets.

"I found tea!" he said, showing Mad Hatter and Aain.

"What's so great about tea?" Aain muttered, dropping the wooden sword on the table and pulling out a packet of normal-looking cards, he threw one at nearby tree and the thin card sliced it in half, then came back to the deck.

"What?" the Mad Hatter gasped in disbelief. "What's-so-great-about-TEA???" Completely ignoring the fact that Aain was holding a pack of, apparently, viciously inclined deck of cards, the Mad Hatter grabbed at Aain's collar.

"How can you not know?? It's not possible, no. Of course, March Hare and I have known for quite some time now, so we don't expect you to fully appreciate the wonders that are tea. Yes, though it sounds rather profound and nonsensical now, you will understand it soon enough." He patted Aain on the head. "Now! Let's have some tea!"

In his delight, the Mad Hatter picked up the tea bag with the March Hare still attached to it and twirled around in little circles till he landed the March Hare in an unbroken chair.

"A toast to you, my furry friend, and to you, our new found savior!" said the Mad Hatter, taking a swig. Then he nearly spit it out. Nearly. Not decent, wasting good tea. He swallowed.

"Savior! That's right! We need to save Wonderland! And all this time you were thinking about tea!" he said, shaking a finger at the March Hare. "We must go! Finish your tea or you won't ever get any more!"

The Mad Hatter grabbed the March Hare by the ears and pulled him away from the table. "You! Savior! Lead the way!" he shouted, pointing to the woods. March Hare finished his tea in one gulp, and let the tea cup fall out of his hands and watched it break on the ground. Aain grabbed the wooden sword off the table and handed the cards and jump rope to March Hare and Mad Hatter.

"Here. You can learn to fight along the way, let's go," he said, his leader-side of himself taking over. I guess men just always had that part inside of them that was needed when they were saviors of some odd world where hares and mad hatter drank tea.

So, they were off to fight the Queen and save Wonderland.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

I'm late.

I'm late.

The White Rabbit collapsed to the ground and sobbed.

I'm late.

I'm late.

Now he didn't know what to be late for. The Queen of Hearts had been possessed by the Jabberwock and nearly had him killed. She never had accused him of anything. Never.

I'm late.

A branch snapped behind him and he turned swiftly, white ears twitching, and pulled out the sword he had stolen from a Jack. Silence. He backed up slowly, his heart thumping in his chest, turned, and ran.

I'm late.

Branches tore at his white robes, which were already spattered with blood, both his and others. He didn't know whose blood, for he had lashed out blindly, fearfully at anyone and anything that chased him or popped out at him from the shadows.

I'm late.

His platinum blonde hair was a disheveled mess and clung to his face with sweat and blood. And his shoes. Those perfectly white shoes that he had kept so shiny and clean were now scuffed up and nearly worn through. They were no longer white.

I'm late.

His liquidy brown eyes darted to and fro, ready to strike.

I'm late.

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"The flowers are around here…we can fight them for singing so much and tattling to the Queen. Everyone in the forest will thank us..," March Hare muttered, wishing he had more tea as he pocketed his weapon.

"Tattle tales. Tattle tales," repeated the Hatter in a sing song voice. He felt much better in the presence of the March Hare. He hadn't realized how dark and lonely his house was until he came back for another tea party.

"Say, where are we going, savior?" he asked after singing a little ditty. "Somewhere nice? With lots of spice? Spice and sugar. Sugar and spice and snap. Ginger snap." And promptly went off onto another tangent, taking the March Hare's hand as they put a beat to their own tune and marched along beside Aain.

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The White Rabbit tripped and fell into the mud again. He felt like this might be the last time he fell. His heart was racing like never before and the tears leaked from his eyes, leaving pink trails down his grimy face.

"Where did you go, Alice?" he whispered to the mud. Then, as if in response, he heard voices.

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March hummed along to Mad Hatter's song, skipping along as they marched. Heh heh. March Hare. Marched. Get it? Oh well. His hare ears twitched as he sniffed the air.

"I smell White Rabbit…and I can hear him! He's nearby!" he said, hopping up and down. He skipped ahead to find White Rabbit, but out of nowhere, a thorned vine grabbed his arm.

March Hare whimpered as the thorns cut into his skin, leaving tiny holes. Aain quickly ran to save him and he slashed the vine off of March with his wooden sword.

"There are Flowers in the area. Stay on your guard…," he told everyone as he gave March a few band-aids from his pocket.

The Mad Hatter cradled the March Hare in his lap as he applied the bandages to his wounds, whispering poems and songs into his ear.

"If the White Rabbit is here," the Mad Hatter said sternly, "we need to find him fast. He's important." But he made no move to get up, and instead continued to tend to the March Hare.

"There. Isn't that better? Better than shoes and ships and sealing wax and cabbages and kings, hmm?" he cooed, gently patting the injured arm with one hand and rubbing the back of the March Hare's neck with his other hand. "Better than tea, maybe. No. Not better than tea. But close."

"Thanks, Hatter…," March Hare muttered, snuggling into his friend's chest. Hm. He smelled like tea, but March also smelled like tea. Aain rolled his eyes and cut the stem of a violet, killing it. He looked back to them and cut a vine out of the way.

"Stop hugging and help me fight!" he yelled, looking around for the White Rabbit.

"Who was hugging?" asked the Mad Hatter, putting up his hands innocently, causing the March Hare to flop to the ground. The Mad Hatter uncoiled the jump rope.

"Less talking, savior, and more fighting!" he yelled as he jumped into the fray. Once they had torn through the villainous flowers, they found the White Rabbit lying in a pool of mud. His breathing was slow and raspy.

"Looks pretty dead," stated the Mad Hatter matter-of-factly, poking the White Rabbit with his foot. The White Rabbit groaned and looked up. In a flash that shouldn't have been possible for the person previously proclaimed "pretty dead", the White Rabbit drew his sword and thrust it at the newcomers.

"Get away from me! Who are you? I'm late!" he cried, his legs shaking, yet his sword was completely steady. March Hare stared at White Rabbit, mud covering his face and clothes. He waved a little, looking so innocent and cute right then.

"It's Marchy,Hatter, and our savior, Aain," he told the White Rabbit, as he threw a card at a nearly flower that was about to attack them. Aain nodded, and dropped his sword to show that he wouldn't attack the White Rabbit. The White Rabbit stared in a panic as Aain dropped his sword. He hadn't seen a friendly face since the Queen had been possessed and this was quite unexpected. He ran his terrified brown eyes over the three.

"March…Hatter..." he mumbled to himself, trying to put name with face. Some gear clanked into place inside his head. "Yes. You both were in court! Witnesses," his mind clung to the facts that he knew and his former self began to creep out. "I believe you were due for an execution." Then something flashed over his face, either pain or fear or sadness. He sheathed his sword.

"But that...is not my concern." The White Rabbit cast his eyes downward and his ears drooped. "Alice was due for one too," he muttered sadly. Then he pulled a large, golden trumpet, that was dazzlingly clean compared to the rest of him, from the inside of his suit (goodness knows how it fit in there) and blew it in their faces. Well, it was more of a bleat since he didn't have much breath left.

"Wonderland doesn't need a savior!" the White Rabbit gasped. "Wonderland is perfectly fine! Long live the...the..." he faltered and stared, wide eyed at the ground. Then he snapped back up. "What did you do to my house??" he demanded, pointing an accusatory finger at Aain. The Mad Hatter's eyes darted from Aain to the White Rabbit nervously.

"Look, Mr. ah..Rabbit. If you just come with us slowly...maybe we can get that watch fixed? Jam always does wonders for the works," he said, inching toward the White Rabbit as one approaches a cornered animal.

"No! You and him," he shouted, pointing to the March Hare, "ruined my best watch last time! No! I'm staying here! You can all go and savior yourselves!"

Aain grew annoyed and he slapped the White Rabbit across the face. "Get a hold of yourself, man. Who cares about your watch or your house?! You're going to get killed if you stay here," Aain yelled, shaking the White Rabbit a little.

"Aww. I thought we fixed it. It was two days slow…,"March Hare muttered, hanging onto Mad Hatter a little. He snuggled into him and took in his tea-like scent. The Mad Hatter patted the March Hare on the head absentmindedly.

"I told you the butter wouldn't suit the works!" he said triumphantly. It was a curious thing, the Mad Hatter's feelings for the March Hare. He never knew how much he needed him until they were apart, but when they were together, he could change from affectionate to indifferent in a second. Put it on the madness, if you will.

The White Rabbit stared in shock at Aain as he shook him. No one had DARED cause him physical harm since he was in the employment of the King and Queen of Hearts. And Alice had certainly never slapped him in the face.

"How dare you, sir! You do not know the singular importance my watch holds! And my house! There used to be a monster in it, you know!" The White Rabbit pushed away from Aain. "The Jabberwock doesn't scare me!" he lied. "I'm fine on my own!" The White Rabbit made to turn and run.

"GET HIM!" the Mad Hatter shouted and leapt for the White Rabbit, who went down like a tree. The White Rabbit struggled on the Mad Hatter's weight and was forcibly lifted from the ground and slung over the Mad Hatter's shoulder.

"Let me go! Let me go, I say! How dare you!" the White Rabbit shouted, beating at the Mad Hatter's back. The Mad Hatter turned to Aain.

"Gotta get his watch. Can't have him running all over the place lest the Jabberwock find it." Then he paused and then suddenly glared at Aain.

"Well, what are you waiting around for?" he snapped. "Lead the way!"

Aain nodded, and he wondered if he was a watch, where would he be? After a few minutes he came up with a huge blank. Aain remembered that his father had a pocket watch that he gave to him when he died. Aain pulled out the shining sliver pocket watch out of his pocket, and gave it to the White Rabbit.

"Here…it's not your pocket watch, but...maybe you'll grow to like it. Please take care of it," Aain murmured. The White Rabbit took it and eyed it disdainfully.

"We'll see how it does. It depends on how much Time likes it." The White Rabbit pocketed it carefully.

The Mad Hatter leaned toward Aain and whispered, "He and Time are pretty close. Time will usually do whatever the White Rabbit tells Him to do. Though it's been a long time...ever since what happened to the Queen. So who knows what will happen..."

Despite the White Rabbit's reservations about Aain, he walked in close proximity with Aain, as if he'd found something sane to hold on to. Consequently, he kept the Mad Hatter and the March Hare at a distance, which was fine with them since they were off in a little world of tea by themselves anyway.

As they walked through the forest, and away from the deadly flowers, they caught the scent of smoke in the air.

"What's that? Smells like smoke…," Aain muttered, walking ahead to see if he could find what was on fire. If there is smoke, there has to be fire. March Hare sniffled the air, wondering what was going on. He never liked the smell of smoke, he would much rather smell the sweet rich scent of fresh tea. But instead of a fire, they found a person. No one should have been able to have smoke pouring out of their mouths like vomit. His hair was coal black and his black eyes shone like obsidian. He wore dull blue and cream robes with scalloped sleeves and yellow shoes that curled at the ends. His skin was pale and his lips were full and red. The Caterpillar was sitting against a tree surrounded by mushrooms. He paid no attention as the party approached him.

"Wow. You're the Caterpillar. Sir, we have a question for you…," Aain said, walking closer to the mushroom that the wise person was on. March Hare stared at all the mushrooms, wondering if they would be safe to eat. Maybe they would good well with tea.

The Caterpillar turned his head slowly toward Aain. He breathed a cloud of smoke into their faces and continued to puff on his pipe for several minutes. Then after a while, he took the pipe out of his mouth and spoke.

"Who are _you_?" he asked, lazily.

"I'm Aain…," Aain answered, not really picturing the Caterpillar having such a dull voice. March Hare was on top of some mushrooms, bouncing on them as he giggled. Aain rolled his eyes and ignored the hare's bouncing. The Caterpillar raised an eyebrow and promptly kicked the March Hare off of the mushrooms, and without a second thought, continued to smoke his pipe.

"Aain," he repeated. "You are not as talkative as your predecessor." He paused and took another drag on his pipe. "That will make things easier for me." The Caterpillar closed his eyes languidly and continued to smoke. The Mad Hatter took the pipe out of the Caterpillar's mouth forcefully.

"Well? Then what have you got to say? You can't just sit there and expect us to wait!" The White Rabbit nodded furiously, pulling out the watch Aain had given him and giving it a nervous glance. The Caterpillar sighed and took the pipe out of the Mad Hatter's hands without effort.

"Keep your tempter," he said at last. The Mad Hatter stared at the Caterpillar for a second and took out a jar of jam out of his tattered pocket. Just as the Mad Hatter was about to give the Caterpillar a condiment makeover, the Caterpillar held up a white-gloved hand.

"Do you like that jam, sir?" The Mad Hatter frowned in puzzlement.

"Yes, of course I do!" he replied after processing the question.

"Then treasure it while you can," the Caterpillar said smugly, and inhaled a great amount of smoke as if to treat himself for that particularly profound sentence. The Caterpillar then sat up a bit more and turned to Aain.

"So. Savior. What _are_ you going to do?" he asked through half-lidded eyes.

"..I'm going to save Wonderland. I promise you that. I would like to see how this place was before everything changed," Aain muttered, getting more and more courage forming inside of his body.

"Caterpillar…do you have anything to tell me?" March Hare asked, raising his hand like he would in a classroom. The Caterpillar looked at the March Hare with an annoyed expression.

"My, aren't you stupid," he said haughtily. "I have nothing to say to you."

The Caterpillar turned to the Mad Hatter and said, "You would do well to take my advice," and glanced at the March Hare as he said this. The Mad Hatter proceeded to look puzzled and then shrugged it off. The Caterpillar sighed, causing a cloud of smoke to envelop him. He put down his pipe and stood up. He was taller than he had seemed leaning against the tree trunk.

"I don't care if you save Wonderland, sir. And don't promise _me _anything. I don't need it. But one thing," he said, walking toward the blackness of the forest. "beware the Gryphon and the Mock Turtle." And he disappeared.

"The Gryphon ate the Dormouse...," the Mad Hatter muttered sadly.

Aain looked a little annoyed by the Caterpillar's words. He didn't care if anything else happened to Wonderland? What a strange person.

"The Gryphon and Mock Turtle…," he murmured, committing their names to memory.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

"He looks delicious, don't you think?"

"No. The important thing is that we get rid of him as soon as possible. Then you can do whatever you want with his remains."

The Gryphon smirked from the dark sky above. His golden wings gave off a dull light against the gray clouds. The effect was slightly ruined since he was carrying a very bored, and very terrified Mock Turtle on his shoulders. The Gryphon had been weak and gave in easily to the Jabberwock's powers, and thus had gained the power to transform between human and his animal form, which was far deadlier than what it had been previously. He was a useful tool to the Queen. He had a shock of black hair and golden eyes that gleamed dangerously. On his back (besides the Mock Turtle at the moment) was a bow and a quiver of arrows. The gold on his wings blackened near the ends. He wore a black dress shirt and a red and white waistcoat. And he wore spats. He liked his spats.

The Mock Turtle wore a dark green sweater that fell to his knees, and underneath that were pants of blackened chain mail. He had muddy brown hair that was tied back in a black ribbon and brown eyes. He also wore a black top hat that, at the moment, was threatening to be blown off.

Now, the Gryphon was certainly more cruel and sadistic than his partner, but the Mock Turtle was far more powerful. It had been hard for the Jabberwock to take over his mind, but since the Mock Turtle had already been in a distressing mental state, it didn't take too long. He let the Gryphon do the dirty work, but when it came down to it, the Mock Turtle could make the Gryphon look like a canary. He had no weapon. He had his mind.

"Can we go down now?" the Mock Turtle asked, looking slightly more green than usual.

"I want a taste of that human," the Gryphon said, licking his lips. The Mock Turtle smacked him over the head and quickly regained his hold.

"I don't care about your stupid fantasies! Let's report back to the Queen and you can let me down before you go gallivanting off after him."

The Gryphon grunted irritably, but obliged and flew off.

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"How annoying," the Queen muttered, staring down at a doll version of Aain. The Queen, once ugly and large, had better effects to the Jabberwock than others. Her body became smooth and thin, and she had some control over the darkness in Wonderland. However, her face was still ugly. So she hid it behind a soul-less white mask.

A dark shadow was behind her, watching her every move. The shadow formed into a tall handsome man, who held onto the Queen's neck with grace. His long raven black hair formed around him like mane, his amber eyes staring at the Aain doll. He was dressed in thin form-fitting clothes, his skin was snow white. The human form of the Jabberwock.

"He will be taken down by Mock Turtle and Gryphon. However...I want the others. I want to have some fun for once…," Jabberwock murmured, making a tiny March Hare, Mad Hatter, and White Rabbit form in his hand.

"I think...that the savior should see what he is fighting. Also, don't you think March Hare would taste wonderful?" Queen said, smiling wide as the Jabberwock faded into the shadows to have some fun with our heroes.

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"Isn't there a short cut around here somewhere?" asked the Mad Hatter as he hacked through the forest with his whip, keeping the March Hare behind him in case any more flowers got too fond of him.

"You're all idiots!" said the White Rabbit, who wasn't actually doing any work himself. He turned to Aain. "So. Tell me…Aain. You say you're going to save Wonderland, but how? By the looks of it, you just got that little sword today, and unless you're trained as a knight, I don't see how you're going to be able to stand up to the Jabberwock. We're nearly there and the best you've done is ward off some flowers?" he said, as if he hadn't just been lying in a puddle of mud not too long ago. Aain looked at the White Rabbit as he slashed down a few trees with his wooden sword. He smirked and poked the White Rabbit's forehead.

"Hah. I may have just got this sword, but I trained myself to be able to fight before I even came here. I guess I just knew that being able to use a sword would come in handy," Aain said, looking over his shoulder often to see if anything was following them.

He paused, a odd black mist was forming in the air. It smelled awful, and a cold feeling formed inside of Aain. March Hare knew what this was, and he quickly looked to Aain.

"Don't move. This is Jabberwock. If you move...it will kill you if you take a single step. No matter how awful it is…," March Hare told everyone. The White Rabbit started to tremble uncontrollably. He was weak, he knew. That was why he had kept on running. That was why he had killed at every chance he got without discrimination.

"Oh, god...," he whimpered. He clutched at the pocket watch Aain had given to him, feeling the soft ticking of its orderly mechanisms. It was the only sane thing to hold on to. The Mad Hatter slowly took the March Hare's hand in his own and tightened his grasp on the jump rope, licking his lips in apprehension. The Mad Hatter was insane, yes, but not bad. But if pushed hard enough, he'd go tumbling over the edge that went beyond insanity. He tightened his grip on the March Hare's hand, refusing to be knocked down. The black mist formed into its human side, and Aain stared at the handsome person. That was what darkness looked like? How odd. Aain watched as a thin knife was tossed up and down in the Jabberwock's hand. The Jabberwock walked closer to the group, smiling at them all like they were old friends.

"Let's see. A weak little human...a pitiful whimpering White Rabbit...an annoying Mad Hatter...and a tasty tiny March Hare," he murmured, licking its lips as he walked around the group. Every so often his fingers would touch one of them. It was awful. Once he touched Aain and the human felt so tired and weak.

"If you so much as TOUCH him, I'll kill you!" growled the Mad Hatter, even though he knew perfectly well that it would be impossible to take the Jabberwock on by himself. But he'd rather give up a life of tea and hats than give up the March Hare, though he wouldn't have admitted to it.

"Kill me? You will kill me? I cannot be killed. I live in each of you, growing more powerful and feasting on your joy and memories," Jabberwock whispered, his cold laugh making March Hare freeze up with fear. The White Rabbit shut his eyes tight and concentrated on the ticking of the pocket watch. He had to keep the darkness out. He had to. As the Jabberwock touched him, a voice in his head said, "But you'll get to reunite with your Queen. You'll be able to get your old position back. Wouldn't that be nice? It would be just like old times."

"No...no..." the White Rabbit whispered to himself, clutching the pocket watch even tighter to his chest. He dared to open his eyes just once and looked at Aain. "Where is your savior now?" said the voice in his head.

"Aain...," he said, quietly, pleadingly.

Aain looked over at White Rabbit and his other friends. Something inside of him snapped. He gripped his wooden sword and charged at Jabberwock. The older man smirked and stopped the blade with his hands, but he was getting forced back slowly.

"Hurt my friends in anyway...and I'll kill you myself. I don't care what happens to me...just don't you dare lay a single hand on them!" Aain shouted, and he was able to leave a scratch on its face.

Aain hurt Jabberwock…it was a scratch…but he damaged the darkness…

Before the Jabberwock could get over the shock of having been hurt by a mere human, the White Rabbit broke out of his shell of fear and held out the pocket watch.

"TIME! I COMMAND YOU TO STOP!" he shouted. And everything went still.

The White Rabbit panted heavily, still holding the pocket watch out by the chain. The world had gone gray except for Aain, the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, and the White Rabbit. The trees had stopped in mid-rustle, the grasshoppers had stopped in mid-jump, and the Jabberwock stood still.

"But...how?" gasped the Mad Hatter. "Nothing can stop the Jabberwock..."

"It's because he made himself human," said a voice. They all turned to find a figure walking toward them, polishing his spectacles on his shirt. His hair was a dull shade of red and wound in tight curls that clung to his head, but he had no freckles, and his skin was a dark, chocolatey color. He could've been anywhere from seventeen to thirty seven, it was impossible to say. He wore a t-shirt that matched the color of his hair and a white three-quarter length shirt underneath that. The man also wore khaki pants that cut off at his calves and were adorned with numerous pockets. He also wore running shoes.

"And because he took human form," Time continued, "he is subject to human laws." Time turned to the White Rabbit. "You know the only reason I came was because the Queen keeps wasting me," he said in a more annoyed voice.

The White Rabbit gave out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, my friend. If you could just hold on for a while longer while we--"

Time was suddenly standing in front of the White Rabbit. How, they didn't know, since he had been standing fifteen feet away just a second ago. Time took the watch from the White Rabbit delicately and examined it. After a while, he seemed to be satisfied and turned to Aain.

"Your father treated me well. Let's hope you will use me just as well." Time handed the pocket watch back to the White Rabbit and turned back to the rest of the party.

"Run."

Aain gave Time a sad glance before leading the others away from Time and the frozen Jabberwock. March Hare was pondering something. Jabberwock was most powerful in his real form, which from creatures that have seen it, was a large awful dragon-like creature. Does that mean it can destroy human laws by becoming that form?

Aain was still shocked that he had caused damage to that awful thing. He was thankful to Time and the White Rabbit as well.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

When Time unfroze, the Gryphon found the Jabberwock alone and empty handed. He swooped down and hovered just above the grass.

"Hey, what are you doing standing around here for? Aren't you supposed to be chasing those fools?" he said, laughing. A look from the Jabberwock immediately silenced him and he cleared his throat. "Well, I mean...you could always have me do it..." The Gryphon recoiled, as if preparing himself for what might come next.

"Go after the human if you wish. Do whatever you want with him. I'm going to pick off the others one by one," Jabberwock muttered, growing two bat-like wings on his back and then flying off to search for them.

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As they ran through the forest, the White Rabbit fell behind more and more. Finally, he stopped, putting his hands on his knees and gasping. The Mad Hatter, still gripping the March Hare's hand tightly in his own, turned to see where the White Rabbit had gone to.

"Hey! What are you doing! We can't stop now!" he shouted, frightfully. The White Rabbit made no sign of moving from his spot, and waved a hand, as if to tell them to keep going.

"We can't let the Jabberwock get him," the Mad Hatter said to Aain. "If he fell to the darkness, we might not be able to stand against him. Time is on his side." The Mad Hatter clutched the March Hare tightly against his body, as if to shield him, and walked back toward the White Rabbit.

"Hey! Come on! If you stand around, the Jabberwock will find us! I'm not going to have you risking our lives!" he hissed. The White Rabbit didn't respond. The Mad Hatter gave Aain a pleading look, as if to urge him to do something about him. The Mad Hatter stepped aside, still holding onto the March Hare.

"You okay, buddy?" he asked, stroking the March Hare's locks. March Hare didn't answer, just gave Mad Hatter a soft nod. The Mad Hatter gave a sigh and buried his face into the March Hare's soft hair, lost for a few rare seconds in a world where there were still hats and tea.

Aain knelt down by White Rabbit, looking at his friend while the wooden sword was still gripped in his hand.

"It's alright if you're scared, White Rabbit. I'll protect all of you, and I won't let him do anything. Trust me...," Aain whispered to him. The White Rabbit looked up at Aain, trembling.

"I can't...," he whispered, his voice barely above the sound of a breath, "I don't know...if I can do this. I...I'm not...strong enough...When I felt it...touching me...I thought such horrible things..." His voice broke, and he looked back down at the ground, clutching the silver pocket watch.

"I want to trust you, Aain," he said after a few seconds, louder this time. "But I don't know if I can trust myself."

Aain was quiet for a few seconds, and then wrapped the White Rabbit in a warm hug.

"Just relax, okay? We'll wait here for a few more minutes for you to feel better. Think of the better times, okay everyone? Think of pocketwatches and tea," Aain told everyone, his voice becoming slow and sad at the end. It was peaceful for a few minutes. Aain was humming a slow song that sounded sad and quiet.

Suddenly, out of the ground after the peaceful time was up came large vines with thorns on them. They formed into a long confusing maze around the party. The wall of vines spilt March Hare and Mad Hatter one way. But at least Aain was able to stay with White Rabbit.

"Aww…come on!" March Hare yelled, sounded annoyed. At least they could still hear each other. The Mad Hatter swore and tried to tear through the vines, but only got cut and scratched in the process.

"Don't move! I'll be right there!" he cried desperately. He didn't even care about Aain or the White Rabbit anymore. They were in a world far away that didn't include the March Hare. The Mad Hatter whipped at the vines futilely, his breath coming out in gasps. The Gryphon, watching from high up above, grinned, his sharp teeth flashing.

"Good old, White Rabbit," he called down. "We can always rely on you to slow everyone down! For once, being late is a good thing!"

He laughed cruelly and taking four arrows from his quiver, launched them at the White Rabbit, pinning him to the vines. The White Rabbit grimaced in pain as the thorns cut into his back, but he didn't cry out. He was weak, but he would not give the Gryphon the pleasure of hearing him scream. As soon as the White Rabbit was pinned, the Gryphon swooped down, lifted Aain into his arms, and flew up into the sky, leaving the others as prey for the Jabberwock.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

"Well, well, well. I finally get to meet you in person," the Gryphon cooed into Aain's ear. "You look so delicious. I won't share you with anyone." The Gryphon pressed his lips against Aain's, savoring the sugary taste. Aain wiggled to get free, and he punched the Gryphon in the face for doing such a awful thing. From the air he could see March Hare and Mad Hatter in the different areas of the vine maze.

"Ow! What the--" the Gryphon screeched as Aain punched him hard in the face. This was not what he had been expecting. After all, he always got his way before. As Aain attempted to get free, the Gryphon tightened his hold on him and flew faster. "If you try to get free now, you'll plummet to your death, human," he said, a bit snappier than he had been a few minutes ago. The Gryphon reached the grounds next to the Queen's castle in a short amount of time. He descended gracefully and found a nearby tree to put Aain up against. Taking out four arrows, he drove them through Aain's clothing and deep into the tree trunk; one for each arm and leg. He stepped back, slightly out of breath and looked his prey up and down.

"Let's see...shall I play with you first or eat you up right now?" he said, rubbing his still sore cheek.

Aain glared daggers at his captor, he had dropped his sword while they were flying. Perfect. Just perfect. This couldn't get any worse.

"So tell me, little human, what were you expecting to do once you found the Jabberwock?" The Gryphon stepped slowly closer and closer to Aain. "You know it is too powerful for you. Why don't you just stay here and play with me?" The Gryphon put his hands on the tree trunk, one on each side of Aain's head, looking directly with his golden eyes into Aain's pale green ones.

"Forever."

"I can't stay with you…it would be nice though. I have to destroy Jabberwock...even if I die trying," Aain murmured, looking away from Gryphon.

The Gryphon laughed at Aain's response. "First you punch me then you say that it would be nice to stay with me? My, you are a funny one. But, you're a human, so it's to be expected." He leaned in even closer. "And don't worry about dying trying to kill the Jabberwock. I'll take care of your little flame that you call a life and extinguish it myself if I fancy doing so. After all, this isn't my true form. But first...why don't you let me have a little taste before I eat you up, hmm?" The Gryphon took Aain's lips roughly with his own.

"Enjoying yourself?" said a solemn voice. The Gryphon released Aain to look around at the Mock Turtle.

"Yes, actually, before you came barging in," the Gryphon replied, annoyed.

"Where are the others?" the Mock Turtle demanded, ignoring the Gryphon's comment. The Gryphon shrugged.

"I left them to the Jabberwock. Why?"

The Mock Turtle gave a long, exasperated sigh.

"Whatever. It's not my problem." He glanced at Aain, finally acknowledging him. The Mock Turtle stared long and hard into Aain's eyes, as if he were looking into his soul. After an awkward silence, the Mock Turtle slowly turned around and walked toward the castle.

Aain shuddered lightly. Not only were the kisses a mix of awful and, for some odd reason, good-tasting...he had that creepy Turtle looking at him. He didn't like that Turtle at all.

"I hope White Rabbit and the others are okay…," he thought, worry filling his body.

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The White Rabbit lunged a final time forward, the backs of legs already mutilated from the thorns, and ripped his robes free of the Gryphon's golden arrows. He fell onto the ground, dizzy from blood loss. He closed his eyes, giving in to the comforting darkness of unconsciousness. But before he could lose himself, an image flashed before his eyes. Aain. His eyes shot open and he willed himself to his knees, and then to his feet. The White Rabbit took up his sword and unsteadily ran through the maze.

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March Hare gasped as he saw the black mist form around him. He felt the Jabberwock's claws grip on his body, his tail moving up and down his back. March Hare started running as fast as he could to get away from the black mist of the Jabberwocky. After a few minutes he tripped from something on the ground. It was a large tail with a thin blade as a tip. March's eyes traveled up the tail to see a large raven black creature behind him.

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The Mad Hatter could feel it. A sixth sense told him that something bad was going to happen to the March Hare. And there was nothing he could do to stop it. He cursed through his tears. He had never cried before, but he did not stop to wonder why droplets of water were coming out of his eyes. Giving up on the thorny hedges, he ran through the pathways as fast as he could. The Mad Hatter skidded around a corner, grass stains attaching themselves to his tattered and bloody trousers. And he saw the March Hare and the Jabberwock.

"I'llkillyouI'llkillyouI'llkillyou!" he screamed, red mist clouding his vision as he ran toward the creature looming over the March Hare. "Don't you touch him!"

March Hare couldn't believe his eyes. Mad Hatter had found him. He felt tears forming in his eyes, he was so happy to see him…

March Hare froze up when he felt the dragon's tail around his neck. He felt so dizzy and tired, a soft lullaby ringing his ears...

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March Hare opened his eyes to see the tea table in front of him. Teapots and teacups were everywhere, the strong scent of tea in the air. Aain,White Rabbit, and Mad Hatter were chattering away. March Hare couldn't hear them..he could smell something over the tea.

Looking down at his cup of tea, he could see that it was crimson. It wasn't tea..it was blood.

March Hare screamed and the peaceful scene melted away. He looked down to see the blade from the Jabberwock's tail in his chest. It hurt. It hurt so badly...


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

Why is it that everything important happens in slow motion? Why is it the things that you don't want to see have to drag themselves out in front of your eyes so you will never forget?

Why?

A sickening noise that grated against the Mad Hatter's mind was made as the Jabberwock pulled the blade out of the March Hare's chest and he fell to the ground. The Mad Hatter stopped breathing for one, two, three seconds.

"No."

"No. No..."

"NO!" he screamed, dropping his weapon completely and rushing toward his fallen comrade. He grabbed the March Hare's shoulders and turned him onto his back, holding him in his arms.

"No...please, no..." he sobbed, as the March Hare's blood stained his shirt. "You'll be all right. You'll be all right..." he whispered, gently stroking the March Hare's face. "Hang on. You'll be okay. Right? We have to go home together. You don't want to miss tea time...do you?"

March Hare coughed lightly as he could see that everything was getting dark. A thin smile formed on his lips, and he held into Mad Hatter's shirt.

"…No...I don't want...to miss tea time…," March Hare murmured, blood staining everything. The Jabberwocky smirked, his tail whipping around.

Protect him. That was the thought that flashed through his mind seconds before he ducked and rolled, the March Hare still in his arms, and the blade grazed his shoulder as it went past. He got up and backed away slowly as the Jabberwock turned to face him.

"There will always be a tea time for you," the Mad Hatter murmured as he watched the circling Jabberwock carefully.

"I even saved some special jam for you. The best. Because, you know...butter never really suited the works, Marchie." He dared to look into the March Hare's eyes and saw the light fading. The Mad Hatter leaned down and brought his lips to the March Hare's ear and whispered the special words he'd been saving. Just for him.

March Hare smiled lightly as he felt cold and his chest started to become heavy. He raised his hand up lightly, and whispered the same words to his dear Mad Hatter.

"I'll save a cup of tea for you…," he murmured, and then his eyes closed. His took his last gasp of air, and then was quiet. A warm glow formed around March Hare, and his body become glitter and dust that floated into the air. This only happens in Wonderland...

The Mad Hatter didn't even cry now. He was beyond tears. He watched silently as the March Hare disappeared into nothing, leaving the warmth of a memory behind.

Silence.

And then the Mad Hatter brought his face up to look directly into the Jabberwock's flaming eyes. He bent down slowly, never taking his eyes off of the Jabberwock, and picked up the jump rope.

And then he straightened. And stood stock still, his penetrating gaze showing nothing but pure resolve.

Jabberwock's tail cut down some of the vines with ease, staring down at the simple foe in front of him.

"You fool. Why don't you just join me? I can bring him back to you...you can live without worry…," he whispered. The voice nagged at the Mad Hatter's mind. It was tempting. It really was. And then the words the March Hare had whispered filled his mind and forced the darkness out. The Mad Hatter's expression turned to one of pure hatred and loathing. He spat in the Jabberwock's hideous face.

"Never," he growled. It would be the death of him, he knew, but at the moment, he didn't care one bit. If he was going to go down too, he was going to cause some major hurt beforehand. As the Jabberwock lifted its tail to strike and the Mad Hatter brandished the jump rope, a white figure leapt in between them. It held out a silver pocket watch.

"Get out of here and find Aain. I'll catch up with you," the White Rabbit said, his voice shaking, though his body was completely rigid.

"Are you crazy?" the Mad Hatter retorted. The White Rabbit remained staring ahead.

"There's nothing you can do for the March Hare now, but we can still save Wonderland. Go!"

The Mad Hatter hesitated, but for only a second, and then sprinted off through the maze.

"Time may not be able to stop you in your present form," the White Rabbit said to the Jabberwock. "But I will not lose Aain to you or anyone!"

The White Rabbit clasped both hands around the pocket watch tightly. "I did not become the Queen's right hand man for nothing!"

A light shone through his fingers and a sudden flash lit the darkness of Wonderland. When the glare faded, the White Rabbit was holding a silver rapier. It was plain, but it had a light that seemed to cut the air around it.

"The Savior bestowed this unto me. You will not pass!"

And the White Rabbit lunged himself at the Jabberwock and brought the rapier across its chest. If it had been in the hands of Aain, it would have killed the Jabberwock, but its powers were halved and only made a deep cut. As the Jabberwock staggered, the White Rabbit took to his heels and ran, using his nose to follow the scent of the Mad Hatter's blood through the maze.

When he had reached the outskirts of the maze, he fell to his knees, blood trickling out of his white rabbit ears. That level of magic was dangerous and he had never used it before. He had never needed to. The rapier changed back to the pocket watch and the White Rabbit held it to his chest. The bleeding subsided after a few minutes and he got back up. He didn't have enough magic or strength to do it again. If he did, he would surely die. The White Rabbit took a few gulps of air and ran to catch up with the Mad Hatter.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

Jabberwock snarled, the wound from the White Rabbit healing slowly. He returned into the shadows and went back to the Queen's castle. The Queen seemed annoyed when seeing the wounded creature.

"You were injured? You? The darkness of human's hearts?" she said, sounding shocked. Jabberwocky growled, and slammed his claws into the wall.

"Call Mock Turtle, I need to ask him something…"

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The Gryphon finally let go of Aain, if only to get his breath back. He licked his lips happily and looked down at Aain.

"Delicious," he said, panting. "You know, I like you so much better than Alice. She was so rude."

In one swift movement, the Gryphon took the arrows out from the tree and slung Aain over his back.

"Well! Time for dinner!" he said cheerfully, carrying Aain to the castle.

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The Mock Turtle entered the darkened chamber slowly and steadily, his chain mail clinking slightly. Of course, he was afraid of the Queen. More so than the Jabberwock. Even before the Jabberwock had come, the Queen had only kept him around in case she suddenly had a craving for Mock Turtle soup. He was grateful for the Jabberwock, come to think of it. The Jabberwock kept him around because he thought he was useful, and not just as an appetizing dish.

"You called, Your Majesty?" the Mock Turtle said monotonously, bowing low.

"How do you kill a human?" Jabberwock asked the Mock Turtle. He had changed into his handsome human form for now. The Queen was just thinking of eating some Mock Turtle soup as she looked at the wise person.

"I cannot kill him, that's why I ordered the Gryphon to do it. If I even think of him, I feel pain and my body is forced away from him. Worse, I didn't get to eat my March Hare. He faded away before I could because of that Hatter...," Jabberwock snarled. However, there was no worry that Jabberwock would eat the Mock Turtle. He was more useful alive.

The Mock Turtle nearly smirked, something he hadn't done in a long time, but suppressed it. He didn't want to impose the Jabberwock's wrath upon himself.

"Gain his trust," the Mock Turtle replied slowly. "Make him realize the darkness that is his heart. Convince him that it is better to go to your side. Instead of trying to destroy him directly, have him destroy himself. Every human has a bit of darkness in them. It is natural. Even the kindest person has darkness. They just repress it better than others. Don't interrupt me!" he suddenly snapped. The Queen and the Jabberwock exchanged baffled looks for a brief moment before the Mock Turtle continued as if nothing had happened.

"The Gryphon is too stupid to kill him. He's too flirtatious. He plays with his food too much. Gives them a chance to run. Keep your distance and speak to the darkness in his heart." The Mock Turtle paused. "I can't guarantee it will work though. He is stronger than he looks."

"Gain his trust...that's very good idea, Mock Turtle," Jabberwock said, smiling lightly as he pondered how he would make Aain join the Queen's side.

"Mock Turtle. Summon a few cards to bring Aain to me. I want to test out your plan. If the Gryphon complains, tell him that I haven't eaten yet and I would love to see how Gryphon tastes like," Jabberwock ordered, picking a few bits of meat out of his fangs.

The Queen looked up from her throne, the mask hiding her face glowed lightly and her body changed to look just like March Hare.

"Hmm. Someone is coming, Jabberwock…," she murmured, the only thing wrong with her March Hare look was the voice.

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The Mad Hatter leaned against a tree and sobbed. While running, he had Time to think, and with Time to think, he thought about the March Hare. Sadness was as unfamiliar to him as madness wasn't. But somehow, although it terrified him, it felt right. A hand on his shoulder nearly gave him a heart attack. He spun around and found the White Rabbit staring at him, almost pityingly.

"You escaped...but how?" the Mad Hatter said through his tears. His eyes went from the White Rabbit's face to his blood-spattered hair and ears. "What happened?"

The White Rabbit shook his head dismissively. "It's not important. We need to keep going. Aain could be dead by now for all we know."

"I wish I was still mad," cried the Mad Hatter. "Reality confuses me more than anything."

The White Rabbit patted him on the shoulder out of principle then guided him toward the direction of the castle. "Come on, Hatter. We have to go."

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Aain was thrown to the ground and the Gryphon locked the door to the cellar. He pulled a large pot from the corner and lit a fire in the middle of the room.

"I hope you're not allergic to shellfish. I wouldn't want you breaking out into a rash before I eat you," the Gryphon said happily, laughing at his own not-very-funny joke.

"Thanks for looking out for me before I'm made into soup. That's very kind of you," Aain said coldly, rolling his eyes as he wished he still had his sword.

"You're welcome," the Gryphon said, tossing salt into the now boiling pot. He paused to look at Aain. "Not going to fight back, human? That's no fun." He gave a smile. "You know, I don't usually eat fabric with my meals. If you've nothing else to do, could you please...?"

The Gryphon gestured vaguely at Aain. Aain felt a warm blush form on his face, and he hated himself for it. Curse his teenager emotions! So, Aain moved over to a darker part of the wall and looked back at Gryphon.

"You better not look," he snarled like a demon.

"Gosh, you must not mind being eaten. Are you sure you want to save Wonderland? Because it seems you'll only be saving me from hunger today," the Gryphon said, laughing. He was enjoying this. He had been expecting a fight, but embarrassed compliance was interesting enough.

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"Are we there yet?" the Mad Hatter panted. The White Rabbit, running along beside him shook his head. By now, he should have fainted from blood loss, but something inside was driving him. It was the force that gave mothers the strength to lift beams off of their children.

"Well...when are we going to get there??" the Mad Hatter demanded. Now that the grieving was done, he was ANGRY. If he didn't strangle something quick, or at least have some tea, he was going to burst.

"We're almost to the shortcut!" the White Rabbit snapped.

"Here it is!" panted the White Rabbit after running for a few more miles, sliding to a stop in front of a tree that didn't look any different from the trees around it. The Mad Hatter slowed and walked back to the White Rabbit.

"Well?" he asked expectantly. The White Rabbit rolled up his sleeves.

"Here, give me a hand," he ordered. Together, they pressed in part of the trunk and pushed it to the side. The revealed door opened up to a view of the Queen's castle in the distance. The White Rabbit shivered. It'd been so long since he'd been back...

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The Gryphon wasn't very happy when the cards came bursting into the room. The Mock Turtle had actually brought the whole deck for good measure, in case the Gryphon was feeling particularly cranky about the intrusion.

"What is going on??" he yelled. The Mock Turtle stepped out of the throng.

"Change of plan, Gryphon. The Jabberwock wants to see him," the Mock Turtle said nonchalantly, then frowned. "Where are his pants?"

"Well, tell him he's mine!" the Gryphon snapped, ignoring the last question. The Mock Turtle sighed and relayed the Jabberwock's response. The Gryphon paled for a moment before regaining his composure.

"Fine," he grumbled and the cards rushed forward to take their captive, now completely clothed. "But I want him after the Jabberwock's finished with him."

"My dear boy," the Mock Turtle said, as he and the cards were leaving, "when the Jabberwock's finished with him, you'll be lucky to get a couple of bones."


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

The White Rabbit and the Mad Hatter reached the stairs leading up to the castle.

"Are you kidding? It's like a mountain," panted the Mad Hatter, looking up at the seemingly endless stairs.

"Come on," the White Rabbit urged, pulling at the Mad Hatter as they began to ascend the stairs. "Aain's depending on us! He can probably hold off the Jabberwock for a while, but I don't know for how long."

-----------------------------------------------

Jabberwock was waiting from the shadows in the throne room, waiting for the card and Mock Turtle to come back. That boy wasn't normal. He was like a thorn in your side that you couldn't get out.

Aain knew that it was smarter just to let them take him along. Without a weapon, he was dead meat in a battle. Still, having to face the Jabberwock was much better than being eaten by a creepy Gryphon. The Mock Turtle and the deck of cards arrived at the throne room, bearing Aain like wild game after a hunt. The Queen sat at her throne, looking down at them.

"I have delivered the human, as you commanded. Now, if you must excuse me, I have some pests to attend to," the Mock Turtle said monotonously. He left the cards still holding Aain, and walked out through the great doors. Aain stared up at the human form of the powerful Jabberwock and the Queen who had become her real form again. Jabberwock licked his lips, and took a few steps over to Aain.

"Don't you know how to bow to royals, human?" Jabberwock said, but Aain didn't reply. Jabberwock glared down at him, and a nearby card slammed a whip down hard on Aain's back. Aain let out a feeble cry of pain and was forced in a low bow.

"Human. Did you know that everyone has darkness in their hearts?"Jabberwock asked. Still no reply from Aain, and he was whipped on the back again.

"Anyway, all human's can be controlled by that darkness," Jabberwock muttered, taking a few more steps to Aain. "You are a pitiful savior. If you never came here, March Hare would still be alive. Saviors are supposed to protect people right?"

Aain paused for a second, wondering where his friends could be, or even if they were alive still. March Hare had died because of him. Some savior he was.

-----------------------------------------------

"Look! It's Aain!" shouted the White Rabbit, seeing Aain being whisked into the castle by a mosh pit of cards. "Thank goodness he's still alive!"

"Well, let's make sure he stays that way!" the Mad Hatter replied, taking two steps at a time. However, their pursuit was halted when the Mock Turtle came to stand on the landing. The Mock Turtle folded his arms nonchalantly and looked skeptically down at the two. The White Rabbit was the first to stop and the Mad Hatter practically crashed into him. He knew the Mock Turtle. They had never really talked much before, but he knew the stories. How he wept all day, seemingly harmless, but at the first sign of danger, he could snap anybody in two. Of course, there was never any danger back then.

"Ah. The traitor," the Mock Turtle said at last, looking at the White Rabbit. Then he turned his gaze toward the Mad Hatter. "And the witness. Who's still got an appointment with the executioner, I believe."

"You don't know what you're doing, Mock Turtle," the White Rabbit said quietly, tensing his fingers as they drifted toward the hilt of his sword.

"On the contrary, sir, I know exactly what I'm doing. I'm standing between you and your human," the Mock Turtle replied.

"Well, we'll have to remedy that, now won't we?" the Mad Hatter barked, and whipped out the jump rope, leaping at the Mock Turtle.

"No, you idiot! Don't rush him!" the White Rabbit shouted. But it was too late. He didn't know how the Mock Turtle did it, but one moment the Mad Hatter had been nearly on him and the next, the Mad Hatter had crashed down the stairs to the White Rabbit's feet, fresh cuts overlapping the dried blood of his old ones.

"What...what did he do?" the Mad Hatter gasped as the White Rabbit helped him up.

"He's the Mock Turtle. He doesn't need a weapon to kill," the White Rabbit explained.

"That's right," the Mock Turtle said with a hint of pride. "No one can stand up to my brain. No matter how strong." And then he disappeared.

"Where did he go??" the Mad Hatter said, bewildered. The two spun around, trying to predict where the Mock Turtle would come at them now.

"I'm right here," said the Mock Turtle's voice. Too late. They were knocked down, down practically two flights of stairs and their backs collided painfully with the sharp edges of the stairs. When they managed to get the blinding black and red in front of their eyes to thin, they saw the Mock Turtle standing at the very top of the staircase.

"Impossible. How could—It's not possible," winced the Mad Hatter. The White Rabbit shook his head wearily.

"I told you! He doesn't need a weapon! I don't know how he does it…but we have to find out how to beat him."

"You will never beat me," the Mock Turtle suddenly whispered into the White Rabbit's ear, and delivered a biting blow to the White Rabbit's stomach. The Mad Hatter took a swipe at the Mock Turtle, but by the time he had drawn his weapon, he was already gone. The White Rabbit was lying on the stairs, wheezing and coughing up blood.

"Curse it all," the White Rabbit wept through the blood. He brought his fist down onto the stair, making a small dent in the white marble. The Mad Hatter stood stock still, but his eyes were moving rapidly. Where next? Where next? When will he come? What will he do? What will I do?

"You're going to die," said the Mock Turtle, as if reading his mind and delivered a swift roundhouse kick. And disappeared again. The Mad Hatter lay on the stairs like the White Rabbit, who looked paler than usual. The Mock Turtle watched them from the top of the stairs, waiting to see if they would try to get up again. If they had given up or not. The Mad Hatter closed his eyes for a few moments, but not in unconsciousness. He was thinking. Up until he had been fighting for his life, he had never really thought about much besides tea and hats. He had never even really thought about the March Hare until he realized that such things could actually disappear. Now, he was perfectly sane. It felt horrible, of course, but now they were in a world that was frighteningly sane and he needed to adapt.

The Mad Hatter's eyes opened slowly. It was now or never. Or else the last thing he'd see was a pool of his own blood on the pure white stone of the stair his head lay on. He had never thought that he could die. Time was always at 6:00. He never thought about death at all. Not until it had touched the March Hare.

The Mad Hatter got to his feet slowly. He slowly tugged on his battered red tie until it came loose and tied it around his eyes. And breathed. Slowly. It hurt to do it, but it didn't matter now. The Mock Turtle looked down curiously. What was he doing?

"Have you gone mad?" the Mock Turtle asked from his lofty position, a ghost of a smile flickering on his face. The Mad Hatter didn't move.

"No," he said. "I've gone incredibly sane."


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

"You if want...you can join me," Jabberwock offered, holding out his hand for the human to take. Not wanting to feel that whip on his back again, or see his friends hurt anymore, Aain thought about the offer.

Why was everything so hard? He just wanted his friends to be safe, if he was promised that...Aain would do anything. He would die for his friends…

"Promise me. Promise that my friends will be safe if I join you…," Aain muttered, looking up at the Jabberwock. Jabberwock grinned and ordered a few cards to take Aain to another room.

After Aain was taken to the empty room, the Jabberwock followed inside. The door was shut, leaving only the Jabberwock and Aain inside.

-----------------------------------------------

"Wh—what did you do???" the White Rabbit stuttered, shocked, as the Mad Hatter helped him up. The Mock Turtle's body lay eerily still at the base of the steps.

"Never mind," the Mad Hatter said dismissively. Being sane was a terrible thing, it was. The two staggered up the remaining steps, each supporting the other with a handy shoulder. They burst through the huge wooden doors and immediately ran into the guards. The cards looked blankly at them for a split second; two bloody, mangled, sane figures with a glint in their eyes. A split second wasn't short enough. The White Rabbit and the Mad Hatter bowled through a good half of the deck before they started to attack. After slicing and dicing the rest of the cards, they arrived at another set of giant double doors at the very end of the long hallway.

"This is the throne room," the White Rabbit explained, grimly. The Mad Hatter nodded.

"Well, if we don't make it out alive," the Mad Hatter said (a statement that no mad person would've said), "it was nice knowing you."

The White Rabbit nodded without smiling, a knot of fear in his throat keeping him from speaking. He hadn't seen the Queen ever since she had tried to have him beheaded. If he saw her now, would he be able to completely let go of the duty that was his? Would he be able to strike in the name of goodness and light and hope? He licked his lips nervously. Let's hope so.

Together, they pushed open the doors and walked into the darkness.

It was dim and dark inside of the throne room, the only light coming from a few heart-shaped lights on the walls. Instead of the queen on the throne was one of their long-gone friends. Messy dark brown hair, shining brown eyes...it was March Hare. Well, it looked like him. It was really the queen using her powers to trick the heroes. The white mask was laying at her feet, a creepy glow coming off it. The fake March Hare smiled wide at the two as he hopped off the throne to come closer to Hatter.

"I missed you...Hatter," he said. The White Rabbit growled at the sight of the fake March Hare. Well, as much as a rabbit who's never had the ability to growl in his life can.

"Marchie…" The Mad Hatter stepped forward to reach out to the fake when the White Rabbit thrust an arm in front of him.

"No! The March Hare is dead! Don't be fooled!" he shouted, but he was thrown aside by the Mad Hatter.

"I thought you…I saved some…jam…for you…," the Mad Hatter mumbled. It was so nice…slipping back into insanity. So fuzzy and warm…

"Get away from him!" the White Rabbit screamed, slapping the Mad Hatter across the face. Ah, sanity. It hurts. Drawing his sword, the White Rabbit pointed it at the fake March Hare.

"Get away, whoever you are, or I'll cut you down!"

"Cut me down? How cruel. I just came to say hello to Hatter," Fake March Hare said, grinning wide like a mad man. He giggled lightly as his dull brown eyes became a faint crimson color.

"I just wanted to say that...death is wonderful…," Fake March murmured, a thin knife forming his hands. In one swift move the knife was jabbed into Fake Marchie's chest, yet nothing happened. No pain, no blood...

"In death, you can do whatever you want. There's no more pain..no more suffering…"

"No pain..." the Mad Hatter repeated as he stepped closer and closer to the March Hair. It would be a so much better world than the one he was in now. This world seemed to now only hold tragedy and pain and suffering. What hope was there left? "Marchie...help me...I don't know what to do anymore..."

"Hatter! Are you mad??" The White Rabbit paused and mentally hit himself with a very large brick. "Forget that question! That's NOT the March Hare, Hatter! The March Hare is dead!"

"No..." the Mad Hatter mumbled. Why was the White Rabbit trying to drag him down? What kind of friend was he? The White Rabbit grabbed at the Mad Hatter again, but the Mad Hatter kept walking toward the fake March Hare's outstretched arms.

"Come on, Hatter, you gotta stop this," he whispered weakly as he was dragged across the floor. The blood loss was really getting to him now that hope was starting to slip away. "I know that it seems better to be dead. I know that, Hatter, I feel the same way. But just because it's the easy way out...Just because it'll end all the pain...That doesn't mean you should give up! What about Aain? He's counting on us. Wonderland's counting on us!" Tears began to roll down his cheeks. "It's hard! I know! But if we don't do this, no one will. And in death, there IS no possibility of tea or parties or hats or pocketwatches or anything like that! And if we give up now, there won't be any of that ANYWHERE." The White Rabbit's grasp on the Mad Hatter's coat slipped and he fell to the ground. He lay there as the Mad Hatter continued to walk forward.

"And," The White Rabbit whispered from the floor, "Marchie would never have wanted you to die."

The Mad Hatter stopped and stood where he was for what seemed like ages. Then, turning toward the White Rabbit, he said, "Yeah."

In a flash, the Mad Hatter whipped out the jump rope and swung it around in full force toward the fake March Hare. The fake March Hare screamed with pain, holding his face where Mad Hatter's attack had wounded him. Like it was broken china, pieces of March Hare's face fell off to show the Queen's face. They recoiled as the mask fell off to reveal the Queen's face. Eyes blazing, she shouted out curses at Mad Hatter and White Rabbit.

"You witch," the Mad Hatter growled, pale with fury. Although the Mad Hatter had regained his senses, the White Rabbit was blown back by this sudden change.

"Your majesty?!?" he stammered, unbelieving. Even though it had happened before, he couldn't understand why she would attack him, try to kill him. He had served her since the beginning of Time. There was just no way.

"Well, I suppose it wasn't entirely unexpected," the Mad Hatter said, increasing his grip on the jump rope. "But, oh well. This is the end of Tea Time for you!"

The Mad Hatter leapt at the Queen, but the White Rabbit caught him by the end of his coat, causing the Mad Hatter to land painfully on his rear.

"What are you doing??? We only have time for ONE denial moment here, and it's already been used up!" the Mad Hatter shouted.

"But…but she's the Queen!" the White Rabbit protested.

"Don't be a hypocrite!" the Mad Hatter retorted. And with that, he swung his legs around, knocking the White Rabbit off his feet, got up, and sent another whiplash toward the Queen. The Queen was ready for it, and she dodged the jump rope with ease. The last of Marchie's face had fell off, and she quickly grabbed her mask to cover her true ugly face. It seemed that Jabberwock's magic had made her like a wild animal, wanting to kill anything that would destroy her. The Mad Hatter cursed as his blow missed the Queen.

"A little help here, Rabbit!" he shouted over his shoulder.

"You knocked me down, now you're telling me to help you out!" the White Rabbit fumed, hopping up. Remember, he thought to himself, she's not the Queen. This is the Jabberwock's doing. Your Queen would never do this. He pulled out his sword and before the Mad Hatter even had a chance to attack again, the White Rabbit had sped by him, bringing his sword up in a gleaming curve at the Queen, the tip of it scratching the marble floor as it traveled upward. The Queen summoned a thin raven black spear at the last moment, blocking White Rabbit's sword with ease. There wasn't even a scratch on the spear's handle. The Queen chuckled and slashed at White Rabbit's chest with the silver blade tip. The White Rabbit doubled up, clutching at his chest that was blossoming crimson flowers. Images swam before his eyes. He had already lost an unimaginable amount of blood already and he was only getting by on sheer will power. However, if this kept up, he'd be dead in no time, no matter how badly he wanted otherwise. Though…he could use Aain's pocket watch. But that would kill him for certain. And he needed to save it for the Jabberwock. If he was going to die, it wouldn't be now.

"Any wise ideas, Hatter?" he said through the blood that was pooling in his mouth. This was, unfortunately, a silly thing to ask since the Mad Hatter wasn't particularly bright.

"I say keep at it until we die or she does!" the Mad Hatter said with a grim smirk before launching into another attack.

"….Yes. Great. You do that while I stand here and die, yes?" the White Rabbit replied wryly and running at the Queen again with his sword, contrary to what he had claimed to do.


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

"You promised that my friends would be safe if I joined you…," Aain whispered, the Jabberwock holding him in its tail. Still, the creature's grip was tight, as if it was just waiting to snap Aain's back. Aain paused, scanning the gloomy dark room that the two were locked in. The Jabberwock watched him with its shining amber eyes, licking its deadly fangs with a forked tounge.

"...Hatter...Rabbit…,"Aain murmured, and he closed his eyes tightly. Then there came a burst of silver white light from Aain's body. It flooded the dark room and went outside into the throne room. The light shined onto the Queen, and she shrieked with pain as some unknown thing was slashing at her and making her unable to move. The light clouded around Mad Hatter and White Rabbit, and started to heal the two at a record time. The White Rabbit and Mad Hatter only had a moment to breathe deeply and bask in the wonderful feeling of not being on the verge of death before they quickly rushed at the immobile figure of the Queen, seeing their chance. There was no time to wonder where that light had come from and why. Fight now, ask questions later. The Queen growled, glaring daggers at the on-coming White Rabbit and Mad Hatter. Deep inside, a tiny part of her that wasn't affected by the Jabberwock, felt relief. She would die soon, her doom met at the end of these charging heroes.

..It pleased her. She would be reborn along with the others once the Jabberwock was killed by Aain. "I wish you luck, Savior," she thought, and she smiled lightly. The White Rabbit struck from the right and the Mad Hatter struck from the left. It happened in an instance, yet it seemed to happen in slow motion as well. The Queen slowly fell back, a faint smile crossing her lips before she disappeared. The two stared at the spot on the floor where she would have fallen.

"Now what?" the Mad Hatter said expectantly, feeling pumped after being completely healed. They stood for a second, not quite sure what the answer to that question was.

"Aain!" the White Rabbit said suddenly.

"Oh, NOW you think of him!" the Mad Hatter said as they rushed off to the nearest door.

" 'Now what?' Like that's any better?" the White Rabbit retorted. He kicked open the door they had found and ran inside. A low mist was filled the room, the Jabberwock's low growl echoed inside of the large room. The slamming of the Jabberwock's tail mixed along with the growl.

"So the Queen has fallen. How pitiful. It seems that I only have you two to finish off now. ..Mmm. I never did get to eat my March Hare lunch. I guess you'll have to fill my stomach!" the Jabberwock snarled, his glaring eyes shining in the darkness.

"Where is Aain, you creepy son of a banshee??" the White Rabbit snarled, drawing his sword.

"You're going to pay for what you did to the March Hare!" the Mad Hatter shouted, running towards the Jabberwock. The White Rabbit caught him by the collar though and pulled him back.

"Where-is-Aain?" the White Rabbit repeated, emphasizing each word as if they were weapons themselves. The Jabberwock held up an unconscious Aain wrapped in his tail, the savior looked like he wasn't hurt though.

"He fainted after that strange light came from his body. Still…I would love to eat him. I bet he tastes sweet…," Jabberwock murmured, tasting Aain with its forked tongue.

"You sick, little worm, I ought to have you drawn and quartered, chopped up into little bitty pieces, and then I'd stomp on every single one of them!" the White Rabbit barked.

"And your spleen ripped out!" the Mad Hatter concurred.

"How would you rip out his spleen if I've already chopped him up into pieces?"

"Does it matter?"

"No," the White Rabbit turned back to the Jabberwock. "If you return him, we promise not to hurt you…much."

"Actually, that's a lie," the Mad Hatter said. The White Rabbit gave him a long look before turning back to the Jabberwock.

"That's true."

And they both rushed the Jabberwock.

Jabberwock snarled, stomping onto the floor and cracking the floors a little. Aain was in his tail, not knowing of the danger around him.

"Come at me then! I always love a good fight before lunch!" He snarled, and then large pale purple vines came up to guard Jabberwock if the two heroes attack him. As the vines sprung up, the two didn't hesitate as they cut them down, not caring that the thorns cut them as they passed through. They exchanged looks and the Mad Hatter darted toward the front of the Jabberwock, swinging his jump rope like mad as the White Rabbit sprang toward Aain, bringing his sword down on the Jabberwock's tail, hoping that he would let go of Aain. The tail was cut in half and black blood sprayed out of the wound on the creature's tail. Jabberwock cried out in pain, and tried to stomp on White Rabbit. It ignored Mad Hatter, the jump rope barley hurting it. The White Rabbit dove out of the way as the tail barely missed him, blood spattering his already blood stained clothes. They were more red than white now.

Aain's eyes slowly fluttered open, his whole body feeling numb.

"...W—White Rabbit?"

As the White Rabbit tensed, waiting for another attack, he heard Aain's voice. Startled, he turned and saw him lying there, still in the grip of the maimed tail. Running over, he pried open the tail and put Aain down on the ground.

"Aain! It's me! Are you okay? Can you walk?" he said rapidly, his heart pounding. He turned to look over his shoulder momentarily to make sure the Jabberwock wasn't about to seek revenge right away. He saw the Mad Hatter dancing about the Jabberwock, snapping the jump rope with a manic grin on his face.

"Come and get me you slimy coward! Yeah, that's right, you heard me!" the Mad Hatter shouted.

"..I can move. What's going on? Are you safe? Please…tell me that no one else died because of me…,"Aain whispered, looking heartbroken. The White Rabbit sighed.

"No one's died yet. Well, if you don't count a couple of cards, the Queen, and the Mock Turtle. And safe? Hardly. If you can move, then move before we eaten by the Jabberwock," he said, pulling Aain up quickly, but gently. "All right," he said, pulling out Aain's pocket watch. "Remember you gave this to me? If you help me out, it'll become your weapon. The weapon to defeat the Jabberwock once and for all. It takes a lot of magic though, so I'm going to need all of your help to keep me alive until the transformation is complete. Do you think you can do that?"

Aain got ready to keep watch over White Rabbit while the pocket watch would become his new weapon. Without a weapon, the most that Aain could do was be a human shield. Oh well. Better than nothing, huh? Aain kept an eye on the Jabberwock, scanning for a weak point somewhere…

"Okay, I need you to hold it like this," the White Rabbit instructed, placing Aain's hands on both sides of the pocket watch so that only a bit of silver glimmered between the cracks of his fingers. "When I count to three, you have to concentrate really hard on what Alice told you about what Wonderland was like before. I need you to believe that this simple pocket watch can become something great. I need you to believe that I have the power to help you."

Of course, the White Rabbit didn't NEED to have Aain do all these things, it just made it easier to get the power out of him if Aain was concentrating on actually giving it to him. And that was everything because right now, they didn't have a lot of Time, and the White Rabbit wasn't going to risk asking any more favors of Time. The White Rabbit put his hands over Aain's.

"All right. One…two…three!" A light shone through their fingers like it had when the White Rabbit had done it alone, but when the light subsided and the White Rabbit brought his hands away slowly, it wasn't the silver rapier that the White Rabbit had used. Aain remembered what Alice had told him about Wonderland. She made sure to get in every detail. How the tea parties were with Mad Hatter and March Hare. How the Cheshire told her that everyone was mad in the crazed world. Every color, every blade of grass was important to Wonderland...Aain remembered every word that came out of her mouth. Aain opened his eyes, and held the newly made weapon in his hands. In Aain's hands was a thin blade that was worthy of being in the hands of the savior. It had the same aura as the rapier did, cutting the air like hot knife to butter. Aain felt so at ease with this sword in his hands, like it was a part of him.

_Vorpal Sword._

Jabberwock turned to face Mad Hatter, licking his fangs lightly.

"My,my,my. You're just as useless as the March Hare was. He died like a weakling. You can barely put a scratch on my hide. Looks like you're about to see him again…," Jabberwock whispered, his glaring eyes looking deep at Mad Hatter. Like he was staring into his soul…

"Yeah? Well before I go, why don't you see if you can feel THIS?" retorted the Mad Hatter with the manic grin still planted on his face and lashing out again. As the Mad Hatter futilely struck the Jabberwock again and again, the Jabberwock turned, remembering the White Rabbit and Aain. Snarling, the Jabberwock made for the two, but just as he was about to swing his tail, something golden flashed and buried itself into the Jabberwock's eye. It was an arrow. The Mad Hatter looked up and saw the Gryphon hovering in the sky.

"I don't suppose now's the time to be asking silly questions?" the Mad Hatter shouted up. The Gryphon grinned.

"You read my mind. Let's just say that I don't appreciate it when my meals are interrupted," he replied. The Mad Hatter smirked.

"Food grudges are the worst, aren't they?"

"You're telling me!" the Gryphon laughed, and suddenly, his body shifted. There weren't any flashes of light or mysterious glowing. It just happened. First there was an, apparently, human form, and then there was The Gryphon. His true form. With a click of his saw-like beak and a swish of his lion's tail, the Gryphon dived at the Jabberwock. The White Rabbit could feel the darkness closing in on him, spots threatening to multiply and cloud his vision danced in front of his eyes. But he shook them away momentarily. Aain had given him a lot of power, more than he had expected, and so could probably hold out for a while longer before…

"All right, Aain, you have no Time to lose," the White Rabbit said sternly, trying to keep delirium away. But when he looked into Aain's eyes, he saw hope and a future. Unconsciously, the White Rabbit leaned forward slightly before catching himself centimeters from Aain's face. Now was definitely NOT the Time. Straightening up, he grabbed Aain and gave him a rough push toward the Jabberwock.

"Now go! We'll distract him!" he shouted, pulling out his own sword and leaping at the roaring creature along with the Mad Hatter and the Gryphon.

Aain looked back at his friends, and hoped that nothing would happen to them as he searched for a weak point. The Jabberwock didn't see Aain so far with the Vorpal Sword, so the teenager was able to get a close view of his whole body. The only tender area that wasn't protected by scales was the creature's neck, so Aain sneaked closer to the front of the Jabberwock.

Jabberwock snarled, growing annoyed every minute this battle passed on. It raised its claws and slashed at the three attacking its body, hoping to pick at least one of the heroes off.

The Gryphon shrieked as the Jabberwock's claws grazed his wings and using the momentum from the knockback, transformed momentarily into his human form, took three arrows from his quiver, and fired them straight back at the Jabberwock before resuming his true form. The Hatter was batted into a tree and fell a long way to the ground, making sure to hit every branch on the way down, but still alive if not having an incredibly sore behind. A few claws caught the White Rabbit across the chest, but he plowed on as if the blood wasn't gushing from the wounds. He was too close to dying to die from that. He brought his sword down on the Jabberwock's arm, slicing it off, but only to have a new one grow up in its place. Well, it was the thought that counted. The White Rabbit chanced a glance toward Aain who was steadily sneaking up on the Jabberwock. Aain was getting closer and closer, still unseen by the creature. After all, one of its eyes was wounded, so it couldn't see very well…

Aain climbed up the Jabberwock's back, the creature still didn't know that he was there. Slowly standing up, Aain raised the Vorpal Blade above his head. In one moment, the Savior stabbed into the creature's neck. Jabberwock shrieked with pain, trying to throw Aain off of its back.

Aain held on, and stabbed deeply in once more. Black blood sprayed out of the Jabberwock's neck. The Mad Hatter and the Gryphon stared in wonder as Aain drove his sword into the Jabberwock, doing the thing that they had only dreamed of doing. The White Rabbit, blood spattering his robes once more, forced the Mad Hatter up and turned to the Gryphon.

"Get up! Both of you, quit gawking and keep at it!" he shouted. All three of them rallied together and sliced, scratched, and whipped the Jabberwock as Aain held on desperately. Aain raised the blade up once more, and sliced at the Jabberwock's neck. In one swipe, the creature's head came off and blood flew everywhere. Aain gasped as a bright light flooded the room, and then everything went dark…


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

Aain's eyes fluttered open, and he could see a azure sky above him and tall blades of green grass around him. Flowers of different kinds were everywhere in the large field that came out of nowhere after the Jabberwock was killed. The Vorpal Sword was at the side of the Savior, and he stood up to see if anyone else was knocked out by the light.

The White Rabbit stared with unbelieving eyes at the sky, the flowers, everything. At Wonderland. It was Wonderland. The Mad Hatter bent down and picked a flower, smelled it, and started to chuckle. Then he started to laugh. And he laughed even harder. So hard that he almost cried. Bouncing up, he twirled and spun, feeling the clean air on his face and drinking in the wonderful colors. As he danced through the flowers, a large, bright green hat materialized on top of his head with a card stuck in it that read 10/6. The Gryphon clicked his beak and peered at his wings. The black on his wings crumbled like burnt toast and revealed the buttery yellow of his wings. The White Rabbit looked down at his clothes, a pure white, then looked up at Aain. He smiled.

"I told you Wonderland didn't need a savior," he said in a haughty voice, but his smile never faltered. "And now it doesn't."

And then he collapsed into the field of flowers.

Aain looked around in the tall blades of grass, wondering if this was real. It was lovely, as if this place was like a piece of heaven. He stepped forward, and tripped over something hidden in the grass. Turning back to look at what tripped him, Aain gasped loudly.

A sleeping March Hare was lying in the flowers, looking better than ever. His hair was smooth and shiny, his hare ears twitching. His old clothes were replaced by a snow white robe, and a tiny mouse was resting in his arms. March Hare and Dormouse, two people that were chosen to be reborn in the new Wonderland.

The White Rabbit opened his eyes and realized that he actually wasn't dead. He sat up quickly and made sure he hadn't been dreaming or he wasn't in the afterlife. Glancing over towards Aain, he followed the savior's gaze till he saw the March Hare and the Dormouse lying in the flowers. The Mad Hatter, pausing for a brief moment to catch his breath, also glanced upon the sleeping figures. His smile faded and was replaced with an expression of disbelief and wonder. Forgetting the flowers and even that Wonderland had returned to its original beauty, the Mad Hatter ran over and in one movement, got down on his knees and picked up the March Hare.

"Marchie! Marchie!" he said desperately, as if maybe this was another illusion. "Quick, somebody get some tea!"

March Hare's eyes fluttered open, and he stared up at Mad Hatter with gentle bliss in those two brown orbs.

"Hatter..." he mumbled, smiling afterwards.

"What ARE you talking about?" the White Rabbit said incredulously, leaning back and feeling better than he had ever felt in his entire life. Then something inside his head, something that had been repressed for what seemed a very long time, popped back into existence.

"I'm late!"

The White Rabbit jumped up, looking panic-stricken, and set off at a run toward the direction of the castle. As he ran, footsteps turned into soft, padded leaps and bounds. Only a couple of rabbit ears could be seen above the swaying flowers. The White Rabbit, now in his true form, automatically reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver pocket watch. He stopped and stared at it. In the instant he looked at it, the White Rabbit's paws vanished, the whiskers disappeared, and he was again towering above the daisies. Yes, he, like Wonderland, and returned to his original self, but he was different somehow. He could never go back to being completely like his old self again; the old self that knew nothing about sanity or pain or suffering. The old self that didn't know about love or perseverance or strength. The White Rabbit turned, still clutching the pocket watch, and looked at Aain.

Aain stepped pass the flowers, his whole body feeling as if nothing could happen. Like this new Wonderland was immortal, and Aain was a new part of it.

"White Rabbit..what's wrong?" he said, smiling down at his dear friend. The White Rabbit blushed furiously, so much that it even turned his rabbit ears pink.

"No…," he mumbled. So this was it. The end of all things. Everything back to normal. Nothing…left…to do…The White Rabbit gulped. "Um..Aain…I want to…I want to tell you something," he stuttered, gripping the silver pocket watch tight as anything like he had done in his fight with the Jabberwock. Might as well get it over with in one go.

"I think you're a good person!" the White Rabbit said, nearly shouting it. "And…and I feel…happy around you. And you make me feel special! I mean, I usually feel special, being the Queen's right hand man and all…but you make me feel…special…er! I don't mind being around you at all! Never! And you make me have a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. And you have a pretty…smell."

And that was that. The White Rabbit didn't know that there was a very convenient word to sum up the whole mixture of feelings whirling inside of him: love. But for now, that was that. And that was enough to make the White Rabbit feel like he was about to explode with embarrassment. Of course, the Mad Hatter was having no problem with this particular avenue. He smiled down at the March Hare and without further ado, took of his hat and set it on the ground; a feat that he would never have thought about doing before. To have just gotten one of his most prized possessions back, he was ready to lose it again for such an opportunity as this. There was no exchange of words because they had already been said long before. Putting one hand behind the March Hare's neck and holding the March Hare's hand with the other, the Mad Hatter bent down and placed a soft kiss on lovely, tea-scented lips. His lips lingered there for a moment before he pulled back up slowly, never breaking his gaze with the March Hare. Suddenly, he grinned widely and stood up, swinging the March Hare around and upright.

"Finally, we'll have Tea Time again!" he shouted jovially.

"Yes! Tea Time at last! Better than before!" March Hare added, shaking his free arm (the other was being held by Hatter) around to join in the joyous fun. Dormouse was clinging onto March's shoulder for dear life, trying not to fall off.

The strong scent of tea seemed to fill the field that day, and the scent never faded. For it was proof that the three friends were together again at last.

Aain was quiet for a few minutes, leaving his face emotionless as March,Hatter, and Dormouse were enjoying being together again in the background.

"White Rabbit...I never knew that you thought of me so dearly…" he murmured, saying something at last. A wide cheerful grin was on Aain's face, and he gave White Rabbit a gentle kiss on the forehead. In the moment of being so close, the savior whispered, "I feel the same way about you…"

It probably shouldn't have been possible for the White Rabbit to flush any deeper, but he did. And against all judgment and any sort of will power, the White Rabbit grabbed a hold of Aain's shoulders and pressed him into a hug. The White Rabbit breathed his scent in. Whatever it was he was feeling, whatever the word was that he couldn't quite grasp…it was all soon forgotten as he lost himself in Aain's warmth. After a few moments, they separated.

"Then…then you'll stay here? With us? With…," he took the extra step, "me?"

Before Aain could answer, there was a crash and a squawk behind them. Turning around, they saw that the Mock Turtle, now in his true form, had landed on top of the Griffin.

"OW! What the--?? Get off!" screeched the Griffin as he pushed the Mock Turtle off. The Mock Turtle yawned and waved his flippers in the air as he tottered on his shell. The Griffin shook his great golden head and prodded the Mock Turtle till he was upright again.

"Well, good to see you're back to your old self," the Griffin said noncommittally. The Mock Turtle sniffed and few tears dripped from his eyes.

" I remember the time when…" the Mock Turtle began as they trotted off to the spot that had always been their spot since the beginning of Time.

Aain felt glad that Griffin and Mock Turtle were back together as just a happy as the rest of them. That is, until Aain killed it with four words.

"I can't stay here."

March Hare stopped being giddy and fell to the ground with a plop from stopping himself. Dormouse rolled down Marchie's back, stopping himself at the boy's tailbone area.

"W-What do you mean 'Can't stay'?! You just risked your life to save us! You have to stay here," March Hare said, pointing a finger at the savior of Wonderland. The White Rabbit just stood there and said nothing. What could he say? There was nothing TO say. He knew that it would come to this. He knew it long before anyone had realized it, he just had kept it hidden away. The March Hare's protests raked across his mind because those were the exact things he wanted to say to Aain, but couldn't…because he knew better.

The Mad Hatter was shocked as well by this. "Yeah, and after all we've done for you and you've done for us? Don't you like it here?"

"I love it here. I would want to stay here with White Rabbit and everyone else...forever. But…I can't. I don't want to leave...I really don't..." Aain mumbled, trying to hide his tears from his friends and dear White Rabbit. Aain wished he was a child again. That way he could stomp and cry like when he was younger. To scream, to complain, to curse the fact that he would have to leave Wonderland. It had become a second home for him. Alice had told him that it would never fade away. It became a part of her, and the same happened to Aain.

The Mad Hatter gave the White Rabbit a pleading look, as if he could do something to make Aain stay, but the White Rabbit gave a nearly imperceptible shake of his head, his deep brown eyes staring straight back at the Mad Hatter as if to say he really meant it. A thousand emotions flew across the Mad Hatter's face, including anger, frustration, sadness, and bewilderment before he sagged and looked away. A few moments passed before the Mad Hatter walked dejectedly over to Aain and stood in front of him, the great hat casting a shadow on Aain. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small jar of tea leaves and handed it to Aain. It was probably the nicest thing he had done in his life. It was also the most painful, but the Mad Hatter managed to not think about how he wouldn't be drinking that tea. And without another word, the Mad Hatter gave Aain a deft push. But instead of falling to the ground, the White Rabbit caught him under the arms and when Aain opened his eyes, they were no longer in the field of flowers. There were no walls or floors or ceilings, but colors swirled and flew by all around them. Every now and then Aain could hear a snatch of sound, as if they were attached to the flying colors.

"Off with their…a very merry un…twinkle twinkle…take the short…drink me…there goes Bill…"

But in the midst of the aimless colors and sounds, there stood small door with a great golden knob and keyhole. It was only tall enough for someone to crawl through. The White Rabbit reached into his pocket and, to his mild surprise, found two pocket watches. One was the plain, silver one that Aain had given him and the other was his own large, golden watch that smelled faintly of butter. He held them both in his hands for a moment before clutching the silver one in his fist and holding the gold one out to Aain.

"Well," he said deftly, "I found mine, but I think I like yours better."

Aain seemed to be shocked by the gift, and he took the golden watch with care like it would break into a million pieces if he wasn't careful. The tea leaves were tucked with care in his pocket, the sweet scent of tea making him think of Mad Hatter and March Hare. He hoped that they would be happy together. Aain felt a jolt of joy because he had gave Mad Hatter something that he treasured, the savior gave him back March Hare. Deep inside of Aain's heart, he knew that they would be happy together. Aain traced the golden watch's numbers with his fingers, smiling gently as even more memories flooded his mind like the swirling colors around him.

"White Rabbit...thank you. It's lovely. I'll keep it close to my heart, always," Aain said softly, holding the pocket watch dearly.

The White Rabbit simply nodded, but only because he would've broken down if he had said anything. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Aain momentarily and gave him a kiss on his forehead before taking a key out of his pocket and inserting it into the keyhole of the door. When he opened it, there was only a tunnel of dirt, and when you looked inside it, you could see a tiny speck of light that was the other side. The White Rabbit turned to look at Aain one last time.

"Whatever you do, don't look back."

And that was all he would say and could say.

Aain looked deeply at White Rabbit, letting a few tears fall before hugging his dear close friend.

"Good bye…I'll never forget you…and I'll come back someday," he whispered before going into the tunnel. He wanted to look back, the urge was overpowering. The savior took a deep breath, and continued on until his vision faded.


	12. Epilogue

EPILOGUE

"Aain! Aain!" A small voice cried out in the darkness. Aain's eyes opened, and he found himself staring at a few little kids that seemed concern about him. After seeing that he was okay, the kids sat down with eager looks. The park was fresh and crisp, but it wasn't like the flower field.

"Aain! Tell us a story!" a kid said with a grin. Aain reached into his pocket, feeling the tea inside. He held a tight grip on the golden watch in his hand, and smiled.

"Okay…this is story when I went into Wonderland...just like Alice did years ago…"


End file.
